Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - October 25, 2024
Analysis
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - October 25, 2024
We have expanded the list, and we are going to a GoLocal team approach while encouraging readers to suggest nominees for who is "HOT" and who is "NOT."
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Over the past 14-plus years, more than 7,000 have been tagged as HOT or NOT.
Email GoLocal by midday on Thursday about anyone you think should be tapped as "HOT" or "NOT." Email us HERE.
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - October 25, 2024
HOT
The Most Unlikely Hotbed
Kevin Stacom has a great take on the recreation center hidden away on Federal Hill.
For so many, it has been a life changer.
Stacom writes:
There was a feeling of warmth in the room that can only come from the level of family and close friends. You could tell that everyone in attendance was genuinely happy for one of them who had made it this far.
He, like many of us, took advantage of this valuable sanctuary and came in here from the time he was 7 or 8 years old, bouncing his ball, joined a team, and was coached until he attended La Salle Academy. But it was here that the foundation was laid for future success.
HOT
Crazy Good
The Boston Celtics - the defending NBA Champions - started off the 2024-2025 season in convincing fashion on Tuesday night.
Not only did the Celtics defeat the New York Knicks 132-109 at home, but they also drained 29 three-pointers, falling just one shy of the NBA record.
SEE ALL 29 THREES - IN 2 MINUTES- HERE
The Celtics, however, missed 13 consecutive threes at the end of the game, going for history.
Jayson Tatum finished with 37 points, ten assists, four rebounds, one steal, and a block.
HOT
New Theater Owners
Cory Brailsford and David Fiorillo, who are behind Comedy Connection and Black Duck Tavern, on Thursday announced their acquisition of the Columbus Theatre in Providence,
This is good news for all.
PHOTO: GO PROVIDENCE
HOT
Old School Rhode Island Restaurants Gone - But Not Forgotten
William Hurley is helping to preserve Rhode Island's culinary history, with the help of both friends and strangers.
The owner of McShortagee's Market in Riverside has a unique attraction for customers to peruse - menus of old restaurants in East Providence, and beyond.
From Asquino's to Crawshaw's to the Crescent Park Inn, Hurley is accumulating a "paper trail" of the offerings of once-popular eateries, which show that back in the day, there were some eye-watering prices.
There was baked stuffed shrimp for $5.25. Broiled sirloin was $2.75. And at that point, coffee was "still ten cents."
As GoLocal first reported, McShortagee's opened this past spring, and along with produce, groceries, and prepared foods, Hurley wanted to feature Riverside lore, and more.
HOT
Potter Matty Wildenberg
GoLocal's Michael Rose has a feature on an emerging talent in ceramics.
Functional pottery is a foundational discipline in the field of ceramics and for local artist Matty Wildenberg it is also his passion. In forms like vases and mugs, Wildenberg does work with care and creativity, shaping handmade and useful ceramic objects. An emerging craftsperson honing his skills in clay, Wildenberg credits local space Anyhow Studio with his passion for the field. He is an artist to watch.
Wildenberg came to Rhode Island from Pennsylvania to study at Johnson and Wales, where he earned a degree in Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts with a Minor in Wine Studies. Today, he is an Admission Counselor at a non-profit that creates summer enrichment programs for middle schoolers, and his ceramic practice is a valued element of his life. Much of his training in clay has come from involvement at Anyhow Studio on Acorn Street in the Valley District. He has been with the studio since its beginnings and studied with instructors Mary Drake, Liz Welch, Zoë Wyner, and Cali Almy, learning everything from throwing on the wheel and creating drinking vessels to surface design and shaping tall forms. Currently, he is rounding out his skills by studying wood-firing ceramics at The Steel Yard with Resident Artist Seth Rainville.
NOT
Oozing Sleaze
Seth Magaziner told voters he would move into the 2nd Congressional District if they elected him.
He did not.
He lied.
NOT
Investigation of Chaos - The Washington Bridge Failure
The Washington Bridge has exposed the worst of Rhode Island’s political cronyism, incompetence, and failed leadership.
In 2015, mid-level union official Peter Alviti was appointed to head the Rhode Island Department of Transportation by then-Governor Gina Raimondo through the political pressure of the Laborers International Union.
Functionally, he had no experience building bridges or roads.
On December 11, 2023, one of the most important highways in the Northeast needed to be shut down due to structural failure.
Unlike other infrastructure crises, such as an accident in Philadelphia that severely damaged I-95 or a ship that lost power and crashed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge, the critical failure of the westbound Washington Bridge was a failure of government to maintain and inspect the bridge.
Since the announcement of the closure, nearly every timeline, claimed cause, and cost estimate related to the Washington Bridge has been false, changed multiple times, and, in some cases, blatant lies.
Business leader Ken Block wrote recently, “Rhode Island’s Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is an out-of-control mess. Director Alviti has spent the better part of a year lying, deflecting, and generally obstructing any effort to understand how his organization failed to detect that a major bridge deteriorated to the brink of failure.”
Columnist Robert Whitcomb writes, “Rhode Island officials’ response to the Washington Bridge fiasco will almost certainly ensure that Dan McKee is a one-term governor. There’s little trust in what his administration says about bridge-reconstruction plans. What would help is the firing of the obfuscating state Transportation Director Peter Alviti and his replacement by a highly regarded apolitical engineer/executive without political, union, or other conflicts of interest.”
This timeline chronicles the key developments of the past ten months and exposes the political influence and failed leadership that have adversely impacted nearly every Rhode Islander.
NOT
Contractor for Washington Bridge Demo - Gets Nearly $40M Change Order, No Bid
Well, this is quite the deal.
Aetna Bridge, the company that was given the contract for the demolition of the Washington Bridge in June despite being the high bidder, has scored a no-bid change order for tens of millions of dollars more.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation signed a change order with Aetna Bridge for $38,410,000.
Between the original demolition contract award to Aetna in June for $45,777,000.
Combined, Aetna has now been awarded $84,187,000.
The demolition of the bridge was budgeted for $40 million by RIDOT.
NOT
If You Won't Back Your City Employees in This Case, When Will You?
The traffic stop of New England Patriots player Christian Barmore and the corresponding controversy is a snapshot of the state of policing in 2024.
We took a look at the incident and some of what we learned:
Providence Police acted professionally.
Barmore did not but appropriately apologized.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley failed to lead.
NOT
Hasbro
The publication Toy Book published the Hasbro internal memo sent to employees. In part, it stated:
We will also be making investments in our team, most notably exploring a new HQ with a collaborative, modern environment that is reflective of our brands and fosters innovation. Expect an update in Q1 on our location strategy. We wouldn’t be moving until mid-2026 at the earliest, prioritizing convenience to public transit, and working closely with teams to make sure we’re building a space that works for our unique needs.
The company is headed to Boston, after 100 years of the hard work of Rhode Islanders.
Along with the memo, about 100 employees got their pink slips.
